A PUB has opened its doors once again after being closed for almost a year.

The Malt Shovel pub in Menston has fought various battles to survive over the past couple of years, as the previous owners put it up for sale during the pandemic.

Menston Parish Council registered the pub as a Community Asset six years ago so they would be consulted in the event of such a move, but only had six months to attempt to secure ownership and safeguard its future.

The pub is now being owned as a free-house, rather than being owned by a brewery.

This gives the owners more freedom on the beer it can serve and means it is owned independently of the breweries that supply it.

Josh Cartwright, manager of the pub said: “It feels great, it’s absolutely amazing to have the pub back up and running in the heart of the community.

“There’s a real buzz around Menston about it re-opening, we’re getting lots of messages and people coming and having a nosey through the windows.

“The guys who have bought it want to make the pub the heart of the community again and that’s what the main objective in the first place, to bring the pub back to life and be the heart of the village.”

On Wednesday evening the Malt Shovel pub posted on Facebook that ‘it felt like Christmas Eve’, prior to opening its doors the next day.

Excited pub-goers commented on the post to show their anticipation and eagerness to get back to their local pub.

One commented that they “were on their way, looking forward to seeing your hard work!” and another confirmed that it lived up to expectations after attending the opening, and said: “The place looks great. A most enjoyable evening. Good luck. We’ll be back very soon.”

Hamlet Mejloumian attended the soft opening for family and friends on Monday night and said: “It’s amazing to see they’ve done. They’ve kept all the original features, they’ve just done all these renovations, it’s an amazing place basically. There was a lovely atmosphere, and the features are just incredible. I couldn’t stop taking pictures, I was just clicking and clicking.”

The pub hadn’t been decorated since the 1980s, Josh said, so it has had a “full cosmetic” refurb inside.

He added: “We’ve put in brand new toilets, brand new flooring all the way through the pub, and the outside has had a full make-over out the front. Out the back, there’s new tables and chairs, and under covered shelter.

“Inside the pub there’s brand new carpet, brand new flooring, new decorations, and brand new furniture, we wanted to give it a brighter and lighter look.”

Despite the renovations, the pub has restored some of its old chairs and stalls, to preserve its authentic character. It will be acting as a ‘wet-led’ pub until October, meaning that it will only be serving drinks as the kitchen will not be running.

Josh said: “The kitchen hasn’t been touched for almost 40 years, so it’s in need of a refurb.”

The pub will be closing for a few days in October to ‘rip it out’ and ensure that only five-star quality food will be served.

Josh added that the pub plans to host lots of events and that pub-goers should keep their eyes peeled for what’s to come.